When December hits, time gets weird. Some days you have a whole free evening. Others, you are squeezing in a quick gaming session between travel, parties, and family chaos. That is where a simple daily plan helps. Instead of scrolling through your library for 30 minutes, you pick one game, play, and enjoy the night.
This Video Game Advent Calendar is built around short, focused experiences. Each one is a game you can play in a single evening without committing to a giant 80-hour epic. Think of it as 24 small presents to yourself—one game to play every day until Christmas.
Use this list however you like. Follow the dates from December 1 to December 24, swap days to match your mood, or treat it as a smart pool of games to play this holiday season. The idea is simple. Every day, you have a clear answer to the question: “What do I play tonight?”
Video Game Advent Calendar
Before we open the doors, here is the basic idea:
- Every pick is roughly ten hours or less for the main story.
- Most of these are easy to enjoy in one or two sittings.
- The list mixes genres and tones so you can match your daily mood.
| Dec 1 | Dec 2 | Dec 3 | Dec 4 | Dec 5 | Dec 6 |
| Dec 7 | Dec 8 | Dec 9 | Dec 10 | Dec 11 | Dec 12 |
| Dec 13 | Dec 14 | Dec 15 | Dec 16 | Dec 17 | Dec 18 |
| Dec 19 | Dec 20 | Dec 21 | Dec 22 | Dec 23 | Dec 24 |
December 1: Journey (2 hours)
Perfect for a quiet winter evening with headphones on. It is short, emotional, and feels like a playable Christmas postcard where you drift through sand and snow toward a wordless finale.
December 2: A Short Hike (2–4 hours)
Cozy exploration with simple goals and a lot of heart. You wander, climb, and glide around a small island, chatting with characters and ticking off tiny tasks that somehow feel huge by the end.
December 3: Stray (6–8 hours)
A focused, linear adventure where you play as a cat in a neon soaked cybercity. It is the ideal holiday pick if you want something polished that you can finish over a weekend or a couple of nights.
December 4: What Remains of Edith Finch (2–3 hours)
A powerful narrative experience that delivers a full emotional arc in a single sitting. Each family story plays with mechanics in a new way, which keeps you hooked all the way to the credits.
December 5: Firewatch (4–5 hours)
Low mechanics, high atmosphere, and some of the best first person dialogue around. It feels like binging a really good limited series over two or three chill nights.
December 6: Oxenfree (4–6 hours)
A dialogue driven supernatural mystery that feels perfect for late night sessions. The overlapping conversations and weird island secrets make it great for couch backseat gaming with friends calling out choices.
December 7: Inside (3–4 hours)
A tight, eerie puzzle platformer that you can see through in one evening, then think about for days. The atmosphere and final act are exactly the kind of weird you will want to talk about after.
December 8: Limbo (3–4 hours)
Minimalist and moody with clever physics puzzles. It is short enough not to clog your backlog and a strong pick if you like your holiday gaming on the dark and lonely side.
December 9: Gris (4–6 hours)
Gorgeous art and music with light platforming and almost no text. It is ideal for a slow, reflective winter afternoon or two when you want something beautiful rather than brutal.
December 10: Donut County (2–3 hours)
Chill, funny, and mechanically simple. You move a hole around and swallow everything on screen, which makes it a great turn your brain off and smile pick between heavier games.
December 11: Untitled Goose Game (3–4 hours)
Short, chaotic, and perfect for passing the controller around while everyone shouts suggestions. It is basically a slapstick stealth game that turns your holiday gathering into a goose powered heist team.
December 12: Katana ZERO (4–6 hours)
Stylish, fast action with instant restarts and a twisty, fragmented story. It is easy to chew through in a few shorter sessions, especially if you enjoy perfecting runs and experimenting with approaches.
December 13: Hotline Miami (4–6 hours)
Fast, brutal top down action with a killer soundtrack. This one is a good pick when you want something intense but brief, and you do not mind dying repeatedly until you nail the perfect run.
December 14: Superhot (2–4 hours)
Time only moves when you do, which keeps the campaign lean and memorable. You can blitz through the main story in one or two nights, then come back later for challenge modes.
December 15: Titanfall 2 (campaign) (6–8 hours)
One of the best FPS campaigns ever and surprisingly short. It is perfect for a focused Christmas Eve or weekend playthrough and a great reset if you have been stuck bouncing between multiplayer lobbies.
December 16: Portal 2 (8–10 hours)
On the longer end of this holiday backlog, but still easily finishable over a holiday week. The writing is sharp, the puzzles scale up nicely, and co-op options let you pull in a friend or sibling.
December 17: Bastion (6–8 hours)
A short, replayable action RPG with amazing narration and music. It fits nicely into a few evenings and gives you that satisfying sense of progression without any bloat.
December 18: Transistor (6–8 hours)
Compact, stylish tactical combat with a strong soundtrack and mysterious world. It is a great choice when you want something thoughtful but not huge, and you can experiment with builds without grinding.
December 19: Gato Roboto (3–5 hours)
A mini Metroidvania starring a cat in a mech suit. It scratches that exploration and upgrade itch without becoming a 20 hour commitment and is perfect for a lazy afternoon.
December 20: Sayonara Wild Hearts (1–2 hours)
Feels like playing through a pop album. It is great for a single high energy night when you want something loud, colorful, and emotional that does not demand a huge time investment.
December 21: TOEM (3–5 hours)
A wholesome photo adventure that is easy to start and finish over a relaxed afternoon. You wander through monochrome towns solving gentle puzzles with your camera and soaking up cozy vibes.
December 22: The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe (3–5 hours)
Short enough to clear a bunch of endings in one sitting and weird enough to keep people talking all night. It is perfect if you like meta humor, narration tricks, and poking at a game until it breaks.
December 23: Hi-Fi Rush (8–10 hours)
A rhythm action campaign that fits into a single holiday week. It is bright, upbeat, and very accessible, especially if you want something that feels like a Saturday morning cartoon in game form.
December 24: The Legend of Santa (3–5 hours)
To wrap up the Advent Calendar on Christmas Day, jump into a full-on festive platformer. The Legend of Santa is a retro-style side-scrolling game where you run and jump across the North Pole, dodging penguins and traps as you fight to reclaim Santa’s workshop from a villainous South Pole Troll. Even better, it supports local co op, making it a perfect Christmas Eve game to share on the couch.
What to Play Next?
By the time Christmas hits, you will have knocked out a stack of tight, memorable games and turned December into a daily gaming ritual instead of a random scroll through menus. Whether you followed this Video Game Advent Calendar to the letter or just dipped in when you could, that is still a win.
If you are hungry for more ideas after these 24 games to play this holiday season, head over to our Originals hub. That is where we dig into bigger features, wild what-if concepts, and deep-cut recommendations that go way beyond simple best-of lists.
And if you want to line up your next obsession once the holidays calm down, make sure to check out our December 2025 Video Game Releases guide. It rounds up every major launch, closing out the year, so you can pick your next long-term adventure once your daily Advent streak is done.
